Busy entrepreneurs have a lot of tasks to juggle, so the last thing you want is another lengthy task added to your to-do list. In the worse of times, your physical and mental health is put on the back burner amid so many responsibilities. It can be hard to stay focused what’s truly important including staying healthy mind, body and soul. How can you reset your priorities and incorporate healthy habits without taking a drain on your already heavily scheduled day?
We’re going to share some easy strategies that only take a few minutes each day. By taking care of your greatest asset – YOU, then your business will benefit because you will have the energy, the creativity, the focus and the drive to manage your business with efficiency and passion.
TIP 1: Keep Your Body Moving
Just as you need to take care of your business, you need to take care of the person who is managing that company. YOU.
GOAL: Make it a habit to work out and move your body every day.
BENEFIT: Working out helps you to feel confident, get more done, and recharges you.
GOAL: It is even better to work out first thing in the morning, so it ensures that your daily workout will actually happen.
BENEFIT: Working out gets your blood pumping and release mood-boosting endorphins.
GOAL: When you are working at your desk, take 10-minute breaks every hour to stretch and move around or even do squats.
BENEFIT: Staying in one position all day isn’t good for your posture and will make your body feel stiff and unhappy. When you feel better, without sore muscles, you can improve focus and creativity.
What if the day is so busy that taking a 10-minute break seems daunting? Medical studies show that incorporating just 5 minutes of weight training into your daily routine can make a difference. Strength or resistance training for only 5 minutes per day can boost your energy and mood, increase your metabolism, and let you see long-term changes in your body. Even a short session of resistance training can help improve muscle strength, tone, and endurance over time. It can also contribute to overall physical fitness and help support bone health.
TIP #2: Protect your Peace of Mind with Mindfulness
“In a world full of doing, doing, doing, it’s important to take a moment to just breathe, to just be.”
– Unknown
Mindfulness—an intentional state of focused, nonjudgmental awareness of the present moment—doesn’t just foster a pleasant moment of calm. Scientists find it can be a powerful tool for altering and strengthening key brain networks for the better. Research finds mindfulness can physically change brain structures.
Mindfulness techniques have been proven to promote positive change in the brain pathways involved in stress, focus and attention, memory, and mood. Some research has even found that a steady dose of mindfulness over a certain amount of time can physically change brain structures long term, including age-related brain degeneration.
Mindfulness does not have to be a long, involved process taking place in the middle of your workday. If you are feeling overwhelmed or stressed out, you can take 2 minutes to practice simple breathing exercises to feel grounded in the moment. One breathing technique that can be done anywhere, is 4-7-8. This means breathe in for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 7 seconds, and breathe out for 8. Take a deep breath in through your nose as you count to 4. Picture something that brings you peace or happiness as you hold your breath for a count of 7. Then let out that breath, from your mouth, as you count down from 8. If you have trouble feeling short of breath on the exhale, breathe out through pursed lips. You can repeat this process as many times as you like.
Personally, I truly enjoyed my MBSR course I took in the Fall, and learned all the ways to implement mindfulness in your quiet moments, in interactions with others, the way you communicate, the way you eat, and even exercise and move. I would encourage a MBSR course to learn how to relax, focus, and listen to your mind’s and body’s needs. It really works! For more information: https://teamofgreats.com
TIP #3: Put down on Paper what Weighs on your Mind … and let it go.
“Journal Writing is a voyage to the interior.”
– Christina Baldwin
Journaling is a highly recommended stress-management tool. Journaling can help reduce anxiety, lessen feelings of distress, and increase well-being. It’s not just a simple technique; it’s an enjoyable one as well. There are many ways to journal and few limitations on who can benefit.
What kind of journaling helps anxiety? Your daily practice could be keeping anxiety diary entries, a gratitude journal, or simply brainstorming about your day or the future on paper. You can draw, type in your phone’s notes app or in a document on your computer, or handwrite journal entries. The more journaling practices you know, the better. Here’s a beautiful journal created and printed by my brother-in-law.
Are negative thoughts still weighing you down? Try writing an “angry” letter. Are the notifications on your phone driving you crazy? Is your internet acting up at the worst time? Do you have a friend, family member or client stressing you out? Whatever is weighing on your mind, person or thing, write them a letter that you do not send. Get out a piece of paper and a pen, breathe deeply and think about what is bothering you. Write as much as you can and get your most negative feelings out on paper. Don’t hold back! When you’re finished, tear up the letter and throw it away. Knowing that your writing will not be seen by anyone else, really helps you feel free to be as honest as you can. This type of letter writing can be a cathartic exercise to help you, get clarity about how you feel about a situation, and release negative feelings or thoughts.
TIP #4: Reading is Fundamental – Read Everyday
“The study showed that fiction influences empathy of the reader, but only under the condition of low or high emotional transportation into the story.”
– NIH Study
A well-read entrepreneur is a successful entrepreneur. Being an entrepreneur can be hectic, so making time to read a book may be the last thing on your to-do list. But, if Warren Buffet can dedicate 80% of each day to reading, so can you! His philosophy is that reading allows knowledge to build up, like compound interest.
Reading books is also an excellent way to stimulate creativity and educate yourself about your business’ industry. What’s more, reading before bed allows you to unwind after a long day and can help you fall asleep faster. Reading daily increases mental stimulation, reduces stress, increases knowledge and vocabulary. Everything you read fills your head with new bits of information, and you never know when it might come in handy. The more knowledge you have, the better-equipped you are to tackle any challenge you’ll ever face. Knowledge can never be taken from you.
TIP #5: Beat the Winter Blues
“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.”
― John Steinbeck
When its cold outside and it’s dark earlier, it’s hard to stay motivated so here are some times to beat the winter blues and sluggish unproductive moods:
- Exercise: Getting at least 20 minutes of vigorous activity four times a week has been shown to reduce depressive mood.
- Get some Vitamin D: Sit or walk outside, even placing your desk by the window can help. A decrease in sunlight can disrupt your body’s circadian rhythms, and cause a drop in serotonin levels and vitamin D levels, which can lead to depressive symptoms.
- Light Therapy: Research shows that we really need bright light to keep the symptoms of winter blues at bay. Exposure to a light therapy lamp for 15 – 45 minutes a day will quickly decrease sleepiness, boost mental alertness, and energy levels. The wonderful thing is that a therapy light or lamp can be set up on your desk. This simple type of phototherapy affects the body’s hormones and can cause a rise in serotonin (the happy hormone). As a result, you might find it easier to tackle that to do list because you have a positive attitude and the energy to do so!
- Lean into it: When it’s cold outside, the snow or sleet is falling, and you’re feeling tired and unproductive, take a mental health day – stay in bed, make yourself a cup of hot cocoa and read a good book or watch a favorite move. Get cozy and then tomorrow you’ll be refreshed and ready to take on the world.
Enjoy your Winter and enjoy the snow!
In conclusion
“Little drops of water make the mighty ocean.”
― Julia Carney
Amidst all the directions we are being pulled, we may feel that our health is not as important as our work. The risk of decreased productivity increases if we don’t take care of our mental and physical health. Minor changes often lead to substantial changes over time. In just five to ten minutes a day, we can start improving our focus, reducing our stress, and boosting our physical and mental health.
